After seeing unrealistic images of girls in magazine pages month after month, Julia Bluhm, an eighth grader from Maine began a campaign to spark change against Seventeen Magazine.

According to ABC News, she interviewed students in her school’s cafeteria about digitally altered images in magazines. The interviews were followed by a petition on change.com titled “Seventeen Magazine: Give Girls Images of Real Girls.”

In May, Julia delivered a petition with over 84,000 signatures from around the world to the executive editor of Seventeen. She also organized a protest outside the magazine’s offices.

Julia’s campaign against digitally altered images did not go unnoticed and in the August issue of Seventeen Magazine, editor Ann Shoket included a letter and body peace treaty that states Seventeen will “never change girls’ body or face shapes,” and “celebrate every kind of beauty in our pages.”

Not only will Seventeen Magazine show behind the scene footage of their photo shoots, but their entire staff signed the body peace treaty.

I can’t fully explain the amount of pride I have for Ms. Julia, the 84,000 people who signed the petition, and the people who assisted in the protest. It takes an incredible amount of courage to go against the “norm” and fight for what you believe in. Moments like this make me excited for the future.

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